Gate.



No. 784,236. PATENTED MAR. 7, 1905. E. J. STANLEY.

GATE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.16,1904.

2 SHEBTSSHEET 1.

PATENTED MAR. 7, 1905.

E. J. STANLEY.

GATE.

APPLICATION FILED APB..15.1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Z witnesses atlfo'anu NITED STATES Patented March 7, 1905.

ELLIS J. STANLEY, OF CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS.

GAT E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 784,236, dated March 7, 1905.

Application filed April 15, 1904. Serial No. 203,259.

To rtZZ 1072 0111, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELLIs J. STANLEY, acitizen of the United States, residing at Champaign, in the county of Champaign and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Gate, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in gates.

The object of the presentinven tion is to improve the construction of gates for farms, stock-yards, and analogous places and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive one which will be strong and durable and which will be adapted to be opened and closed at a distance from either side of it by a person on horseback or in a vehicle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a gate whichwill be securely locked in its closed position and which will be adapted to be opened with a minimum effort on the part of the operator.

With these and other objects in view theinvention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a gate constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the gate, illustrating the arrangement of the parts when the gate is open. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the rear end of the gate, illustrating the arrangement of the operating-levers and the shiftable weight. Fig. 5 is a detail side view of a portion of the gate, the shiftable weight being shown in a vertical position in full lines and in an inclined catch and the combined trip and keeper.

Llke numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates agate, which may be constructed in any desired manner and of any suitable material and which is designed for use on farms, in stock-yards, and analogous places, and the said gate is pivotally mounted at its rear end, at the bottom thereof, by a transverse pin or bolt 2', which passes through a pair of posts 3 and which also serves to pivot a pair of bottom braces a for the said gate. The posts 3, which have vertical inner faces, are tapered to present inclined outer faces, and the bottom braces l converge toward the'front of the gate and are secured to the same at the front end thereof and at an intermediate point, spacing-blocks 5 being interposed between the bottom braces and the gate, as clearly shown in Figs. .1 and 2 of the drawings. The gate is adapted to swing or tilt upward and backward from the horizontal position illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings to the vertical position shown in Fig. 3, and when the gate-is in the latter position the posts'or supports 3 are received within the spaces between the braces 4 and the gate. By this construction the gate is firmly braced and supported and is connected with the posts3 at opposite sides thereof. These braces prevent any lateral movement of the gate and enable the same to withstand considerable lateral pressure.

The gate is provided with a spring-actuated latch consisting of a bar6, arranged as shown in Fig. 1 when the gate is composed of horizontal rails and connecting-bars, and supported by one of the rails and operating between the connecting-bars. The front end of the latch engages a stationary keeper 7, having a beveled outer face and provided at its lower end with a shoulder for engaging the latch. The beveled outer face of the keeper enables the latch to engage it automatically when the gate closes. The latch is held in engagement with the keeper by means of a pair of springs 8, mounted on the intermediate bars 90f the gate and bearing against rear projections 10, which engage the bars 9 to limit the forward or outward movement of the latch. The rearward movement of the latch is limited by front projections 11, located in advance of the intermediate upright bars 9. These projections preferably consist of pins piercing the latch and extending from opposite sides thereof. Thelatch-bar is also provided at its rear portion with projections 12, arranged to be engaged by short latch-operatinglevers 13, fulcrumed at their lower ends on the adjacent rail of the gate and connected at their upper ends by rods or links 14 with a pair of operating-levers 15. The operating-levers,wliich extend from the gate in opposite directions, are fulcrumed between their ends in bifurcations of uprights 16, and they are provided at their outer ends with suitable handles 17, adapted to be conveniently grasped bya person in a vehicle or on horseback, whereby the gate may be operated at a distance from either side of it. When the gate is closed, the links extend downwardly and forwardly from the inner ends of the operating-levers, which are arranged at an inclination in a plane at right angles to that of the gate. The gate is opened by pulling downward on one of the operatinglevers. This lifts the inner end of the operating-lever and through the link connection operates the latch and tilts the gate. The links swing to the opposite side of the posts or supports 3 to the position illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings when the gate opens, and the operating-levers are returned to their initial position and are adapted to be again oscillated by a downward pull to close the gate.

The operating-levers are provided at their inner ends with openings formed by approximately U-shaped clips 18, which embrace oscillatory guides 19. The clips which receive the inner ends of the operating-levers are secured to the same and are provided with projecting fingers 20, forming pivots and passing through eyes of the upper ends of the links or rods 14. The oscillatory guides 19 consist of rods orbars pivoted at their lower ends 21 to the outer side faces of the posts or supports 3, and they are adapted to swing inward and outward as the operating-levers are raised and lowered, and they are capable of causing 'the said operating-levers to swing in a vertical plane and of preventing any lateral movement of the said levers. The lower ends 21 of the oscillatory upwardly-extending guides are provided with laterally-extending pivots or pintles, which are arranged in suitable eyes 22 of plates or hinge members 23.

In order to enable a heavygate to be readily opened with comparatively little effort, a shiftable weight 24 is employed and is arranged in an upright position, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 4, and 5 of the drawings when the gate is closed. This weight is provided with a pair of depending arms 25, located at the rear portion of the weight and connected at their lower ends to the rear end of the gate, at opposite sides thereof, by a pivot 26, suitable eyes being provided at the lower ends of the arms 25 to receive the said pivot. The weight is provided with a central vertical opening to receive the engaging head 27 of a resilient catch 28, consisting of a rod or shank, of resilient material, arranged at an inclination and secured at its lower or front end to the gate and provided at its upper or rear end with the engaging head 27. The catch extends upward and rearward from the rear portion of the gate, as shown, and the head, which is tapered, forms an inner shoulder and presents an inclined lower edge. The head is adapted to engage a combined trip and keeper 29 and a stop 30, which limits the outward movement of the weight. The stop 30 consists of a transverse pin located adjacent to the front edge of the weight, and the combined trip and keeper consists of a pivot or pintle forming a rock-shaft and provided with a central lug or flange 31 and having terminal arms 32. The combined trip and keeper is located in rear of the stop 30 and is in engagement with the catch when the gate is closed and the weight is in avertical position, and when the weight is released it is adapted to swing outward to the position illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 5 of the drawings, its outward movement being limited by the head of the catch coming in contact with the stop 30. The weight is tripped simultaneously with the unlatching of the gate, and the outward swinging of thewcight imparts an impetus to the gate and lifts the same and enables the gate to be opened with a minimum effort. The weight strikes the ground first, and the momentum of the gate completes the opening movement of the same. When the gate is opened, as

illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the weight is returned to its position at right angles to the gate and the combined trip and keeper is reengaged with the head of the catch. The

weight operates to counterbalance the gate and enables it to close easily.

The projecting portions or fingers of the clips of the operating-levers are arranged to engage the terminal arms of the pivot or rockshaft of the combined trip and keeper when the gate is closed, and when the inner ends of the operating-levers are swung upward the arms of the rock-shaft will be oscillated and the lug or flange 31 will be swung upward to disengage the catch and trip the weight. The weight of the terminal arms will return the combined trip and keeper to its normal position with relation to the weight and the catch when the gate is opened. As the weight swings downward to the horizontal position shown in Fig. 3 the terminal arms will assume a vertical position, and the parts will then be in position for automatic engagement with the resilient catch.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a tilting gate, of a shiftable weight pivotally mounted on the gate at the back thereof and carried by the same, said weight being arranged to swing rearward independently of the gate to assist the opening movement of the latter.

2. The combination with a tilting gate, of a shiftable weight mounted on and carried by the gate, and movable independently thereof to assist the movement of the gate, means for locking the weight against such independent movement, and means for releasing the weight when the gate is opened.

3. The combination with a tilting gate, of a shiftable weight pivotally mounted on the gate at the back thereof and carried by the same, said weight being arranged to swing rearward independently of the gate to assist the opening movement of the latter, means for locking the weight against movement on the gate, and means for releasing the weight when the gate is opened.

4. The combination of atilting gate, a pivoted weight mounted on the gate and movable independently thereof, means for locking the weight against such independent movement, and means for tripping the weight and for swinging the same outward when the gate opens, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a tilting gate, a pivoted weight carried by the same and arranged to swing outward to assist the opening movement of the gate, a catch for holding the weight against such independent movement and operating mechanism for tripping the weight, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a tilting gate, a weight carried by the gate and movable independently thereof, a catch for holding the weight against such independent movement, a combined trip and keeper engaged by the catch, and operating mechanism provided with means for tripping the wei ht, substantially as described.

7. The combination of a tilting gate, a pivoted weight mounted thereon, acombined trip and keeper consisting of a rock-shaft having a lug and provided with an arm, a catch arranged to engage the rock-shaft and located in the path of the lug, and operating mechanism connected with the gate and provided with means for engaging the said arm for tripping the weight, substantially as described.

8. The combination of a tilting gate, a pivoted weight movable independently of the gate, a catch mounted on the gate, a stop carried by the weight for engagement with the catch to limit the outward movement of the said weight, a combined trip and keeper mounted on the weight and arranged to engage the catch, and operating mechanism connected with the gate and arranged to actuate the combined trip and keeper, substantially as described.

9. The combination of a tilting gate, a pivoted weight having an opening, a catch mounted on the gate and extending into the opening of the weight, a combined trip and keeper arranged to engage the catch and provided with means located within the opening for d isengaging the catch, a stop also arranged to engage the catch to limit the movement of the weight, and operating mechanism connected with the gate and provided with means for actuating the combined trip and keeper, substantially as described.

10. The combination of atilting gate, an operating-lever connected with the gate, and an upright oscillatory guide receiving the operating-lever and arranged to swing inward and outward, said guide being also arranged to hold the lever against lateral movement, substantially as described.

11. The combination of a tilting gate, operating-levers connected with the gate, and upright oscillatory guides pivotally mounted at their lower ends and arranged to swing transversely of the gate and supporting the operating-levers against lateral movement, substantially as described.

12. The combination of a pair of posts, and a tilting gate pivoted between the posts and provided at its bottom with opposite braces secured to the gate and pivoted to the outer faces of the posts and spaced from the gate to receive the posts when the gate is open, substantially as described.

13. The combination of tapering posts,a tilting gate pivoted between the posts, and bottom braces pivoted to the outer faces of the posts and secured to the gate and converging toward the front of the same, said braces being spaced from the gate to provide tapering spaces to receive the posts when the gate is open, substantially as described.

14. The combination of a tilting gate provided with a latch, an operating-lever, an oscillatory guide receiving the operating-lever and movable with the same, and means for connecting the operating-lever with the gate and with the latch, substantially as described.

15. The combination of a tilting gate, a shiftable weight carried by the gate and movable independently thereof, a catch for looking the weight against independent movement, and operating mechanism provided with means for tripping the catch to release the weight.

16. The combination of a tilting gate having a latch, a shiftable weight carried by the gate, means for locking the weight against independent movement, operating-levers provided with means for tripping the weight, and means for connecting the levers with the gate and for operating the latch, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ELLIS J. STANLEY.

\Vitnesses:

EDITH DEFIBAUGH, LULU LITTLER.

IIO 

